Greta Garbo's Legendary Home Revived

The boxed-in abode of Hollywood's most glamorous recluse is reincarnated as a wide-open modern masterpiece

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Dated, crumbling, dark and dingy, Greta Garbo's former Beverly Hills home was a mere shadow of its star-studded past –until designer Nicole Sassaman took hold of it. Sassaman found herself drawn to the property, although it was more a candidate for demolition than remodel. "The first time I saw the house, I couldn't believe that it had been sitting in such a poor state for so long. But I immediately saw how the home could be turned into something really special if I just let its glamorous past guide the renovation." Captivated by the home's story, Sassaman embarked on an extensive one-and-a-half-year remodel, turning the once-grim estate into a modern marvel, still steeped in its rich history.

The home's illustrious past

The modest 2,000-square-foot Aztec adobe home was designed in 1937 for the enigmatic screen star and her then boyfriend, Leopold Stokowski (Hollywood "it" boy and the conductor for Disney's Fantasia). The architect's guiding principle was to fulfill Garbo's most famous wish, "I just want to be left alone." Small windows and towering exterior walls intentionally sacrificed the hilltop lot's spectacular views in exchange for the elusive starlet's much-desired privacy. The most popular area was the courtyard, enclosed by high walls and well beyond the reach of paparazzi lenses. It became a hot spot for Hollywood's high society to gather and for the film star to sunbathe in private. Though Garbo was the muse for Stokowski's space, his interest in another starlet would ultimately send her away. He went on to marry artist/heiress Gloria Vanderbilt and start the next chapter of this home's Hollywood history. The space has since been occupied by a host of movers and shakers, from singer/actor Tab Hunter to the acclaimed Russian filmmaker that resides there now, but to Sassaman and its neighbors it will always be the "Greta Garbo Estate."

A modern expansion

Sassaman's first order of business was to more than double the space to 5,500 square feet – more typical of homes on today's L.A. market. "The additional space was attained by erecting a second story and pushing the home out toward the view," Sassaman says. "The hilltop view was stunning but the estate didn't take advantage of it because the house had been built to keep the inhabitants in and the press out." In a paradoxical shift, Sassaman added windows and full wall glass panels. "We added as much glass as city code would permit, and this tactic transformed the home from dark and secluded to open and airy." But perhaps the greatest addition came with the surreal infinity pool. "Because the home is positioned on the edge of a hillside, the pool had to be built on the hill slope in order to create the illusion that the house was sitting on water," says Sassaman. "The pool was much more difficult to do than the home itself; yet when the infinity knife-edge pool appears to drop off into the city—wow!"

A more functional floor plan

Although some rooms, including the kitchen, were kept in their original location, others were flip-flopped for better functionality. Garbo's infamous pink adobe patio was totally enclosed and converted into a neutral-hued living room with panoramic views of the city and of the new infinity pool just outside its doors. Garbo's bedroom became the home office, and a master suite was installed on the newly constructed second floor. The lower bedroom and bath, previously a guest room during Tab Hunter's residency, became a gym. Another outdoor patio area was enclosed and added to the kitchen, providing more space to cook, dine, and entertain. Sassaman methodically tweaked each space, including halls and staircases, to ensure that all were afforded a nice view.

Retaining a connection to the past

Though Sassaman made many modern updates, it was important to her to hang on to the flavor of Garbo's home, so she kept the home's unusual curved lines. Though working along curves was difficult, particularly in the bathroom where cabinetry had to be installed, Sassaman managed to make it work. The curved fireplace in Garbo's original master bedroom was retained, as was the home's sinuous exterior. Both were updated with stucco, a more sensible pick than tile or stone, which would have been tough to work with along the curves. "By keeping the curvaceous shape of the home and improving upon that style, I worked to meld the worlds of yesterday and today together."

Getting in touch with Garbo

Sassaman made great strides to associate the house with its alluring first resident. While building the pool and retaining wall in the backyard, she stayed in the house to get a feel for what it was like to live there. "I loved living there with the expansive view of the city and ocean," confesses the designer. And while it's been years since the sexy starlet occupied the home, in name, at least, the home still remains hers; the current homeowner, a young Russian film maker, loved the home's history so much that he bought it under "Greta Garbo LLC."